creating political accountability in Kenya

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Exciting news here at We Are Watching You! Your organization has just joined Global Giving’s 30 day open challenge. For the challenge, we need to raise $5,000 USD from 40 different donors in 30 days. If we reach this goal, we will be permanently added to the Global Giving site. This site enables donors from all over the world to look at our organization and donate to our cause online. The money that you donate will go to fund our Music for Culture of Peace and Non-Violence events. You can look at our profile and DONATE online. Any amount that you are willing to give would be greatly appreciated!

We Are Watching You has been working hard to spread the word about peaceful elections. One way we are getting the message out is by playing this video on matatus and buses. Watch the video and share it with your friends!

Well it has been busy busy busy over here at We Are Watching You office.

We are currently on the process of registering We Are Watching You as its own organization instead of an accountability campaign by ACREF. We feel that We Are Watching You is much bigger than just a campaign and we hope that you would join us in our journey. It will be difficult at first but we believe that the end result will be worth it.

Another thing we are preparing for right now is the showing of Heal the Nation documentary by PictureMtaani. We will be holding the viewing for Heal the Nation Documentary on March 18 from 12 o’clock at the ACREF center. The documentary is about the election violence of 2007-2008 and what happens afterward. There will be discussion afterwards and we would love for you to attend our pilot event. It would be interesting to see how our community has healed over the years and what more needs to be addressed to complete the healing process.

The second event that we are planning at the moment is Music for Culture of Non-Violence and Peace. We will be launching our second concert next month after the success of our pilot concert. This edu-tainment concert is aimed to lessen the possibility of another riot similar to the election violence of 2007-2008. We will be joined by other musicians who are interested on spreading the message of peace and educating public about their civic rights and responsibilities.

So that is a quick update from us. We hope that you will join us in one of our events or maybe send us a message and join our team!

We Are Watching You is a campaign to create political accountability in Kenya by increasing citizens’ vigilance and civic participation. The campaign uses elements of popular culture to sensitize citizens and works in collaboration with civil society leaders.

The need: Behind the political violence experienced in Kenya in 2007-08 is a deeply engrained impunity for Kenyan politicians at all levels: not only in courts but also in the minds and loyalties of the wanachi. Politicians are able to use inciting language and bribery on the campaign to mask their lack of accomplishments, or even their implication in scandal. High-level corruption prevails within government institutions, but politicians are rarely held accountable for involvement in corruption. Citizens are often too willing to forget the corruption and scandals that arise as well as the lack of follow-through on political promises; and when they do recognise and wish to act, they rarely have the leverage to be heard by politicians. This lack of real political accountability means that politicians are able to rally groups along tribal lines and to incite conflict and tensions. To tackle the lack of political accountability and high levels of corruption, there is thus a need to provide an outlet for citizens and civil society organisations to speak with a collective and powerful voice that will be heard by Kenya’s politicians.

What we do: We Are Watching You reaches the common wanachi by using popular media, specifically music, and local forums engaging youth in conversation and education on these subjects to create cultural vigilance and monitoring of politicians and their actions. Through these means the campaign creates a significant constituency speaking together in one voice. The concerts include civil society and NGO leaders as speakers and provide an opportunity for these leaders to confirm commitments to the campaign.

Local artists are able to join the campaign by committing to engaging in “edutainment” and including an educational component in their concerts and any public speaking roles they engage in.

Forums: We Are Watching You holds forums to engage youth in hot spots for violence in discussion and education surrounding the need for long-term political accountability and civic vigilence as an alternative to short-term promises and payments. These discussions, facilitated by youth leaders, create important mentorship relationships and engage youth in conversation and a learning process instead of a typical training or workshop in which they are given only facts or specific information.